Modern Color
The anti-naturalistic and symbolic use of colour as an expressive element in the portrait, introduced by Van Gogh, had a crucial influence on the transformation of the genre brought about by the artists of the early 20th century Expressionist movements. Portraits by Henri Matisse, Maurice de Vlaminck, Alexej von Jawlensky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Joan Miró offered an innovative solution to evoking the sitter’s identity through formal simplification and the expressive force of pure colours.
The anti-naturalistic and symbolic use of colour as an expressive element in the portrait, introduced by Van Gogh, had a crucial influence on the transformation of the genre brought about by the artists of the early 20th century Expressionist movements. Portraits by Henri Matisse, Maurice de Vlaminck, Alexej von Jawlensky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Joan Miró offered an innovative solution to evoking the sitter’s identity through formal simplification and the expressive force of pure colours.
Vincent van Gogh
The Postman Joseph Roulin, 1888
Oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 21 1/4 in. (65 x 54 cm)
Kunstmuseum Winterthur
Presented by the heirs of Georg Reinhart, 1955
Maurice de Vlaminck
André Derain, 1906
Oil on cardboard, 10 5/8 x 8 3/4 in. (27 x 22.2 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Artist: Marcella, 1910
Oil on canvas, 39 3/4 x 29 7/8 in. (101 x 76 cm)
Brücke-Museum, Berlin